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Looking to compete with the sports car establishment, Venturi was founded by Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy in the 1980s and their first car took to the streets in 1986. Venturi’s most exciting car, the 400 GT, was introduced in 1992. With performance to match its looks, the 400 GT was not only the most powerful car ever built in France at the time of its introduction, but the first production car with carbon ceramic brakes as standard. Boasting a V-6 engine developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo producing 400 bhp, performance was astounding, especially when considering it weighed under 1,200 kg, some 225 kg less than a Ferrari F355.

Ordered new by Hervé Poulain, Honorary Chairman of the auction house Artcurial and the man behind BMW’s art cars, Poulain purchased this car, the 25th Venturi built, in 1992. The following year, it received fascinating new paintwork by Jean-Yves Lacroix, which was inspired by the perfume ‘Pasha de Cartier’ and in this livery saw frequent use throughout the 1993–1995 seasons where it was driven by both Poulain and former Formula One driver Oliver Grouillard. During this time, the car was also featured in the Venturi brochure to promote the 400 GT. The car is also featured in Poulain’s book about his racing cars, Mes Pop Cars.

Following the end of the Venturi’s racing career, the car was converted to road-going specifications and sold to a Mr Strub in Strasbourg and was subsequently purchased by the third and current owner in 2008 and imported to Germany. Since then, the car has been well preserved in the consignor’s collection. A service in October of 2018 included a replacement of the clutch release bearing, as well as new brake linings and a new starter. It is accompanied today by an extensive history file, which includes the original Certificat d’Immatriculation from Hervé Poulain’s ownership.

Without a doubt one of France’s most exciting cars of the 1990s, this is a Venturi with uniquely French history that would make a wonderful entry into the new Masters Endurance Legends series.